She took them past the security desk and up to David’s dorm room. It didn’t surprise Greg that she had a dorm card and a key. His brother always trusted people more than he should. When they walked in, Cassidy went to the refrigerator while the rest of them stood in stunned silence.
“If this is what living in a dorm is like, sign me up,” Phil said.
Greg had to agree. He’d lived in off-campus married housing, which was ten times better than living in a dorm room. David’s place, though, embodied the ideal living situation for a college kid. It wasn’t that it had marble floors or gold-plated faucets; rather, it had big leather couches and chairs and a TV that took up almost an entire wall. Video game equipment out the wazoo was evident, and the bar/kitchenette was versatile enough that you could feed yourself or throw a party.
“Lexi and David’s roommate’s stepmom decorated it. You should see his bedroom,” Cassidy said as she handed out drinks. Phil beat the others in the race to David’s bedroom door.
Greg had forgotten that his younger brother had money. Looking at where David lived was a stark reminder. His room looked like something right out of an idea magazine for the perfect twenty-something bedroom.
“I’m calling my mom and telling her I’m not coming home,” Phil announced.
They heard the door open.
“Honey, I’m home!” David called out.
They came out of his bedroom to greet him.
“You’re bigger,” Phil blurted out.
Joey gave him an appraising look.
“What do you weigh?” she asked.
“I’m up to 235. They want me to be at 240 by the start of the season. Thanks to what you taught Cassidy, I haven’t lost a step,” David shared.
“You’re training him?” Joey asked Cassidy.
“She is. She’s also training a group of guys who are preparing for the NFL draft. They all swear by her,” David said.
Greg saw that David’s words meant a lot to Cassidy. David was a natural at building up the people around him. He had no doubt she would do anything for him. He wished he was half the leader his younger brother was.
“I need to run over to the baseball field to get in some batting practice before football. You guys want to go with me?” David asked.
Cassidy begged off. She hadn’t even started to pack for the spring break trip and needed to get going on that. Besides, David’s group would all be together for the next week.
They walked to the baseball field, and David enjoyed showing them the campus. Greg wasn’t surprised when it seemed like his brother knew everyone. When David reached the baseball field, you could tell he was in his element.
“Hey, Joey. I want to introduce you to someone,” David said as he took them to the coaches’ offices.
He knocked on the door and then stuck his head in.
“Hey, Coach. I have your new trainer with me,” he announced. “Joey Marshall, meet Coach Deneau.”
“What’s the deal, Dawson? You just barge in and take over,” the player sitting across from the coach complained.
“Andres, I would like you to meet my brothers, Phil and Greg. Coach sees you enough. He needs to hire this girl before someone steals her,” David said.
Greg chuckled because Joey clearly wasn’t quite sure what to do. Even though he knew David’s skills at getting the right people together with each other, he still was a bit shell-shocked that his brother would pull something like this. Their dad must have talked to him this morning.
“David claims you were responsible for getting him ready for college athletics,” Coach Deneau was saying to Joey as the rest left his office.
“So, these are the infamous Dawson brothers,” Andres said.
“They’re having a party at the Baseball House as we speak. I thought you might want to grab a beer there and relax while I do my thing here and then go to football practice,” David said.
“What about Joey? Shouldn’t I wait for her?” Greg asked.
“Coach will bring her down to the batting cages when he’s done. I can have one of the guys take her to the house from there. Go have fun,” David assured his brother.
Greg was about to turn David down, but the look on Phil’s face changed his mind. Greg figured it would be better if he were there to watch over their youngest sibling.
It didn’t take long to figure out that Andres, Seamus, and Allard were David’s best friends on the baseball team. Seamus and Allard were going with them on their spring-break trip, so it was nice to get to know them. The three of them were pumping Greg for all the embarrassing information he could think of. Phil had a few that even he hadn’t heard before.
When there was a lull in the conversation, Allard made a suggestion.
“You guys want to meet some of the jock bunnies?”
“Jock bunnies?” Phil asked.
The grins on David’s friends’ faces told Greg precisely what they were.
“Did you bring condoms?” Greg asked.
Phil’s eyes got big.
“David has a supply in his room,” Seamus shared.
“You mean...” Phil stammered.
“Don’t worry, you don’t have to run back to The Palace; we’ll take care of you. Come on, you’re in for a treat,” Allard said as he and Seamus took Phil to the basement.
“They aren’t going to get him shit-faced, are they?” Greg asked Andres.
Andres just shrugged, like it was no big deal.
The jock bunnies had figured out that Greg was also a Dawson. He was never happier than when Joey showed up. She pushed through them and gave him a big kiss. Greg sighed in relief when they took one glance at her stunning looks and decided to find someone else to hit on.
“How did it go?” Greg asked.
“Coach Deneau thinks the world of your brother. It was because of David that he even considered me. They have a whole process that I have to go through to get the job, but he told me that it’s mine if I want it.”
They found a quiet place to talk everything through. Greg had only lived in a small town, and then he’d gone to State for school. Moving to a big city concerned him, especially since he had three kids who would start school soon.
They were talking in circles when David finally showed up.
“Did you get it?” he asked Joey.
“They offered me the job, but I have to jump through a few hoops before they can make it official,” Joey shared.
David wrapped her in a big hug to congratulate her.
“Where’s Phil?” David asked.
Greg gave him a sheepish look.
“I sort of lost track of him. He went off with Allard and Seamus,” Greg explained.
“Oh, shit,” David moaned.
“Should we go look for him?” Greg worried.
“No. They won’t let him get killed or anything. That doesn’t mean that they won’t feed him to the jock bunnies, though.”
“Phil’s mom made me promise to look out for him,” Greg worried.
“I don’t think he’ll care, given what I’ve seen of these girls already,” Joey said.
David shook his head and then laughed.
“She’s right. We’d better track him down before they completely drain him of precious bodily fluids.”
“David!” Joey scolded him.
“But I have to break the record. I’m at four,” Phil whined.
Greg looked at David, who was of no help.
“You took responsibility for him. He’s already messed up. What can one more hurt?” David asked.
Andres had a girl waiting for Phil. From Phil’s expression, he felt like the king of the world when he went upstairs.
“I take it his visit to the farm went well?” David asked.
“What’s that mean?” Joey asked.
“You know all the skills my brother brings to the bedroom? You should thank our uncle for that. For some reason, I didn’t get the same training when I visited,” David complained.
“How exactly did this sex education work?” Joey asked.
While Greg tried to come up with the best way to explain it, his idiot brother chimed in.